Are you often concerned with a miter saw? Yes?
Well, in this case, you might have observed that your miter saw blade becomes dull and blunt. No doubt, the more you use the miter saw for cutting objects the more the blade will wear out and the edges turn rounded.
The blade of your miter saw plays a vital role in cutting the objects. You will never get smooth and accurate cuts with a dull blade. Therefore, it is preferable to use a sharp blade.
Usually, most of you can’t change your miter saw every time its blade gets worn out. So, the simple solution is to sharpen the blade. Thankfully, it is a pretty easy and quick process that only takes 15 minutes.
Let us discuss the detailed procedure of the process of sharpening the blade of miter saws.
How do you know if your miter saw blade is worn out?
For sharpening your miter saw blade, you should be aware of how to assess the dullness of the blade. For this, you should have to consider some parameters.
Following are the conditions you may experience in the case of a blunt blade;
- The blade leaves burn marks at the edge of your workpiece.
- The blade will not make straight and smooth cuts.
- It may splinter your work.
- The saw may jab in the cuts
- You will see chipped teeth on the miter saw blade.
- You may hear a louder sound during cutting.
- The teeth become rounded.
- More pressure would be felt while cutting due to resistance.
Required Apparatus for Sharpening Miter Saw Blade
Before you set to sharpening the blade of your miter saw, you will need to collect some tools. These tools will aid you in a better and quick sharpening of the blade.
The list of the apparatus includes,
- Crayon
- A small diamond file
- A workbench consisting of mounting clamps
With these tools in your hand, you are ready to move further.
3 Steps to be followed to Sharpen A Miter Saw Blade
1. Removal of the blade from the miter saw
The first and foremost step for sharpening a dull blade is to remove it from the miter saw. This is because it is not possible to deal with it while it’s attached to a miter saw.
Make sure you get off the blade pretty carefully so that you can prevent yourself from any injury.
Mainly, the advanced miter saws feature a blade release switch which provides you assistance. As soon as you are done with the removal process, place the blade on your workbench over the clamps.
2. Putting crayon marks on the teeth
The second step you should follow is to put the markings on the teeth of the blade. You can use dark-colored crayons for this purpose. Doing this offers you a starting point for sharpening the blade.
Moreover, this will help to prevent you from sharpening the same teeth of the blade twice or thrice. Undoubtedly, this will not harm your blade but it will waste your time.
3. File the tips of the blade
After following the above-mentioned first two steps, the blade of your miter saw is fully prepared for sharpening. Now, take a diamond file and be ready for sharpening the blade. Make sure you file the teeth of the blade one by one avoiding repetition.
In order to file, place the diamond file at the bottom and slip it under the edge of the tooth. Ensure that the file makes better contact with the flat portion of the metal tooth. Afterward, move the diamond file in an upward and forward motion along the tip of the tooth.
As a result, you will get enough sharpened blade teeth. However, you need to take precautions while dealing with the blade. Avoid touching the teeth of it while you are filing them.
Repeat the procedure
Once you are done with filing the first blade’s tooth, go for the others too. Remember, you need to follow the same procedure as you have followed for the first tooth.
Keep on sharpening the miter saw blade until you reach that crayon mark. After this, you get a fully sharpened blade.
Can you sharpen your miter saw blade by hand?
Well, the answer to this question depends upon the material of the teeth of the blade you are using. Undoubtedly, sharpening a miter saw blade by hand is a feasible option, but you can’t go with this option for a blade with carbide material.
This is because carbide blade teeth are pretty hard in nature. Thus, they have the potential of damaging the files. Usually, such blades are sharpened by professionals at a low price.
However, you are free to sharpen the other types of blades by hand easily.
How many times can you sharpen the blade of your miter saw?
Whenever you observe your miter saw blade blunt, the first thought that comes to mind is to sharpen it. However, you have to follow a certain limit that how many times your miter saw blade can be sharpened.
According to my personal experience, when a blade is already sharpened 3 to 4 times, the saw begins to shear while cutting.
This proves that your blade has become weak and you should immediately replace it with a new one. Thus you can not further continue the sharpening process.
Although, the number of times you can sharpen a dull blade majorly depends upon the quality and type of the blade.
Final Verdict
In the end, you are left with a well-sharpened blade which makes your cut smooth. You can clearly find the difference between the quality of cuts before and after the sharpening of the blade.
However, it can again become dull after enough use. In such a situation you will have to go again for the same method in order to maintain its sharpness.
You can also go for some other procedures, but the one mentioned above is the easiest and quick method. This is because you do not need to collect expensive or rare tools. Simply, with two to three tools in your hand, you can sharpen your blade.
I am Arxal, the founder and main writer of sawgeeks.com. Passionate about woodworking and power tools, I started this blog to share my knowledge and experiences with others in the field. Through my articles, I aim to provide helpful information and create a community for fellow saw geeks.
